Sleeper toy



July 28, 1953 N. l. BROYLES SLEEPER TOY Filed Oct. 29, 1951 JNVENTOR. Neva 101a Bray] es BY .4.

fltforney Patented July 28, 1953 U Nl TED TFFYIGE SLEEPER TOY Neva Iola iBroyles, Cashmere, Wash.

Application October .29, 1951, Serial No. 253,694

The present invention relates to improvements in toys such as stuffed dolls and animals and, more particularly to toys of this character for use as sleeping companions which keep the child warm and enable him to sleep peacefully and comfortably.

One object of the present invention is the provision of a device of the character described which has the outer appearance of an ordinary stuffed toy animal, doll, or the like, of the type which some children like to takefto bed with them, and -which is provided with an electric heating pad, so that a child when snuggling it close to himself will be kept warm on cold nights.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a device of the character described which has eyes of transparent material adapted for lighting up with a warm, dull glow for the purpose of giving an added sense of security to a child, particularly if the child is afraid of the darkness.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a device of the character described which preferably is provided with tw separate sources of electric current, one within the device particularly for illuminating the eyes of the toy figure, and the other for providing the heating pad with electric current from a plug-in socket or the like. Thus the device can be used on warm nights without cables or wires extending therefrom.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a device of the character described which has its electrical parts safely contained within its interior, and which is light in weight, simple in construction, and inexpensive to manufacture, but which is also sturdy, durable and well adapted for withstanding the rough usage to which toys of this type frequently are subjected.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing a preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a preferred embodiment of my invention; and,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, fracticnally in longitudinal section.

'1 Claim. (01. 219-19) Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawing the numeral '2 denotes astufied animal toy figure having an outer envelope or casing l of fabric material, plastic material, or the like, which is formed as a body portion with a head portion and with leg portions in the usual manner, and the major portion of whose interior is filled with cotton, or sponge rubber, or with any other suitable stuffing material 5 (Fig. 2). The head portion is provided with transparent eye members 8, which may be either .glass eyes or as eyes painted small electric light bulbs or the like. In the instance shown said eye members 8 are glass eyes secured to the outer side of the casing 4, and within the latter adjacent those casing portions to which the members 8 are secured there are electric light bulbs In in sockets .12. Those portions of the casing 4 to which the members 8 are secured either are provided with perforations for allowing the light from the bulbs ill to pass therethrough, or if the casing 4 is made of thin and/0r .porous materials said perforations are omitted, so that the light passing through said casing portions will be dimmed in order to avoid a bright shining of the eye members and to make them only glow in a dull manner when ordinary flashlight bulbs II] are used and are illuminated.

Another feature of my invention is the provision of a heating pad l3 preferably detachably fastened by means of snap fasteners I4 or the like to the inner side of the front section of the body portion of the casing 4; said front section being most likely that portion of the toy against which a child is apt to snuggle up for being warmed by the toy while the heating pad I3 is in operation. The heating pad l3 may be of any suitable construction and design. It may be one of the well-known heating devices which are heated by chemical reaction of its contents, or one which is heated electrically. The latter type being shown in the present instance.

A further feature of my invention is the provision of a compartment I6 within the casing 4, formed by an intermediate wall It of fabric material or the like whose edges are secured to the inner side of the casing 4 by means of sewing, pasting, plastic welding or the like. At least that portion of the casing 4 which is adjacent the compartment l6 has an opening, preferably a vertical slot, which is provided with any suitable closure means, preferably with a slide fastener 20 (Fig. 2). Within the compartment Hi there is a source of current for the light bulbs l0 and/or for the heating pad l3 as well as a switch 22 controlling the electric current for the light bulbs l0. While an electric storage battery might be sufiicient as the only source of current for the device, particularly if a chemical heating pad is being used, in the case of an electric heating pad I prefer to use as a separate source of current for the light bulbs H) a dry cell battery 24, and to provide a cable 26 for connecting the heating element [3 to a stationary source of current such as a plug-in socket (not shown). The cable 26 preferably is connected at 28 to an extension cable 30, which preferably is provided a with a thermostat 32. A portion 34 of the cable 26 preferably is coiled and normally contained within the compartment [6, or if the heating pad [3 is not in use the entire cable 26 can be coiled and stored conveniently in the compartment [6. The battery 24 is connected to the light bulbs l and to the switch 22 by means of a second cable 36. The device can be used as a toy during daytime with the light bulbs [I] switched off and with the cable 26 stored in the compartment l6, which in this case can be closed entirely by the fastener 20. During warm lights the light bulbs It! can be switched on by means of the switch 22 and then the fastener can be closed, the cable 26 being contained Within the compartment l6. During cold nights a small portion of the fastener 20 can be left open and the cable 26 extended therethrough. The heating pad [3 is accessible by opening the upper portion of the slide fastener beyond the upper edge 38 of the intermediate wall [8 and by pushing aside the stufiing material 6, so that it can be disconnected from the casing 4 to which it normally is secured by means of the snap fasteners I4; thus the heating pad I3 can be removed easily and quickly for the purpose of repairs or renewal, the latter being important if a chemical heating pad is being used.

Since certain changes may be made in the above article and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claim is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which as a matter of language might be said to fall therebetween.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A device of the character described comprising an outer casing formed as a body portion with a head portion and having an opening in its ing, a portable source of current connected to each of said light bulbs being contained in that compartment which is accessible through said opening, a cable constructed and arranged for being connected to a source of current and being in circuit with said heating pad and having a coiled portion which normally is contained in said last-mentioned compartment, and stuffing material being contained in that portion of the interior of said casing which is not occupied by said last-mentioned compartment.

NEVA IOLA BROYLES.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,292,105 Shoenberg Jan. 21, 1919 1,558,278 Phillips Oct. 20, 1925 1,877,940 Morgenstern et al. Sept. 20, 1932 1,896,663 Collins Feb. '7, 1933 

